


and the world carries on

by pallasjoanna



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-10 12:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3289610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pallasjoanna/pseuds/pallasjoanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellana Lavellan makes another choice in the Deep Roads.</p>
            </blockquote>





	and the world carries on

Every step comes heavier and heavier now. They’re still so far down the Deep Roads that the only light comes from the flickering fires on the walls, and even that is quickly snuffed by the darkspawn horde, their shrieks an unholy cacophony that grows ever louder. 

While her own mana reserve is barely just enough, her magic won’t be able to stand against those for long. Solas doesn’t seem to be faring better than her, despite being the Dread Wolf, and Varric is starting to list behind the group that both her and Cassandra are trying to pull him forward, to keep running.

But Ellana knows they can’t outrun them, not unscathed.

"This way!" Elissa Theirin yells as she turns hard into a narrow path, one that opens up into a large paved corridor of an ancient thaig. The Warden Queen is a terrifying sight to behold, her armor and dark skin streaked with even darker blood, but even she can’t hide her left arm dropping limply to her side or the fear written in her eyes and the lines of her face. "We need to make it to the Legion of the Dead—" she gasps when they reach the end of it.  "Help seal the tunnels—" 

"And how far is that?" Cassandra asks.

The Archdemon’s roar shakes the very ground beneath their feet.

Varric looks grimly at Bianca, holding the crossbow close to his chest. “Not near enough.”

"Enough talking then," Ellana says, and is about to continue down the only other path left when she notices the warden turning back.

"No," Ellana says, the words just a whisper.

_(They run towards the breach in the sky, but Ellana falters, watching Hawke as she turns away to stay. To fight. To die.)_

"Your friend is right, we can’t make it to them at this rate." Elissa starts to stride towards the path where they just came from, raising both her swords aloft once more. Go. I’ll hold them off."

"No," she says again, this time loud and echoing, and reaches for Elissa. "We can make it. We can, so we need to start running now—"

But Solas holds her back. His hand is heavy on her shoulder. “I agree with the warden, Inquisitor. We do not have a good chance of making it to the exit as it is. However,” He walks toward Elissa. “I would offer to hold the line myself instead.”

Her heart freezes in her chest.

Elissa pauses. “You?” she says, her voice shaky, and her grip on her swords faltering just the slightest bit. It is gone in the next breath, and she turns to face them again. “No,  _you_  caused all of this in the first place—”

"Exactly, Warden, and the fault is mine alone—"

"And so what? You can’t fix anything if you’re dead down here!"

"Neither can you save the Grey Wardens if you die as well!"

Ellana glares at him. “Now, of all times, you feel like caring about the Grey Wardens?”

Solas’ lips press into a thin line, his face a polite mask save for that. “I am simply trying to convince you of the merits. We do not have the time nor the energy for a debate—”

He bristles as Elissa grips his staff hand. The warden’s face is determined as she simply says, “So choose, Inquisitor.”

Inquisitor. The whole world is heavy on her shoulders. Two lives again to choose from, a chess piece to sacrifice.

But she can’t think of them that way. Ellana knows here’s a whole kingdom as well as her one love and king waiting for Hero of Ferelden to come home. She is the only hope left to the Grey Wardens.

And as for Solas—

The cracks in her heart haven’t lined up yet— no, she shouldn’t think about that now. He’s the only one who knows what exactly is going on, so he’s the only one who has a good chance of making things right.

_(She chose Hawke because Ellana wanted to choose right. Ellana still doesn’t know if she did.)_

Ellana takes a deep breath, and chooses.

"Solas," she finally says, her voice unwavering. 

"Lavellan—" Varric starts.

Ellana doesn’t pay attention to Cassandra’s and Varric’s protests behind her. In the space of a breath, she crosses the distance that has grown between her and Solas in three years and wraps her arms around him.

Solas stiffens, but his arms settle around her, loose and hesitant at first, warm and fierce the next. “I’m sorry, but you know this is the right thing to do.”

She catches the warden’s eyes over his shoulders. “I’m sorry, too,” she tells him. 

Elissa eventually nods in understanding. 

Ellana pulls away from the embrace and looks into his eyes. “ _Ir abelas_ , Solas” she repeats. “But I won’t let you die alone.” 

In the split second before she turns away, she sees the polite mask slip and crack.

And she charges back towards the path. Towards the darkspawn.

"Ellana!" 

Over the crackling of her magic as an ice wall slowly solidifies in front of her (too flimsy, it won’t buy her five minutes), she can hear the struggle as both Cassandra and Elissa try to drag Solas away— (“We can’t waste her life, Solas.”), and feel the faint cool breeze as Cassandra smites him. 

Ellana’s hands shake as the ground rumbles, but she tries to be steadfast, unwavering in this because this is be the right choice, it should be. 

She just wishes she could say goodbye to everyone else back home.

_In war, victory._

The ice starts to splinter as the darkspawn ram themselves against it. She summons her sword.

_In peace, vigilance._

” _Vhenan!_ " Solas’ voice is far enough now that only the echoes carry it to her. The anguish in it twists her heart, but it won’t change her mind. Ellana wants to laugh, Ellana wants to cry. She didn’t think she would hear him call her that again. They never really had the chance to properly resolve everything, did they?

It doesn’t matter now.

The wall finally breaks as an ogre emerges from the path. It gives a loud, guttural roar at the sight of her, and the rest of the horde starts to spill out behind it.

_In death, sacrifice._

Ellana doesn’t look back.

**Author's Note:**

> -This was inspired by a post on tumblr about the player having to choose between sacrificing Solas or the Warden. That post was funnier.  
> -Yeah, I love the default names.  
> -I'm still working on writing fast-paced scenes, but I hope the story still made sense.  
> -I also hope that the twist made sense (or I hope that the twist was clear to everyone because it's midnight here in my timezone)


End file.
